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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Umar Abdullahi Umar, the son of former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has received over 500 members and chieftains of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) that defected to the APC.
The Executive Director, Technical Services, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), also used the opportunity to empower more than 3,000 APC Kano State supporters during the launch of the first phase of the empowerment programme at an event held over the weekend.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the former APC Chairman, Edwin Olofu, on Monday in Abuja, explained that the empowerment package, distributed to the youths across all the 44 local government areas of the state, includes agricultural inputs among others aimed at boosting farming to make the beneficiaries self-reliant.
The statement further noted that Umar, while addressing a mammoth crowd, described the empowerment as the tip of the iceberg of broader schemes he has planned for people, especially for youth and women in the state.
Receiving the defectors, he said the party would treat them as bonafide members without discrimination, commending them for their courage “to see the truth to join APC as the strongest party in Africa.”
He noted that his passion to help the populace is what prompted him to introduce empowerment schemes, not only for the constituents of Tofa/Dawakin-Tofa, Rimingado federal constituency where he hails from but also people across the state.
While hinting that plans are also underway to launch the second phase of the initiative, he said: “We have already begun plans for the next phase of this empowerment. This is not the end. Any APC member who did not receive support today should not lose hope; your turn will come.”
The empowerment items distributed include tricycles, mini-trucks, fertilisers, herbicides, improved seedlings and solar-powered [equipment]. Others include irrigation pumps, agro-processing machines, among other modern farming tools designed to boost productivity and promote self-reliance among the beneficiaries.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the items judiciously without selling them, stressing that the gesture was to boost their livelihood.
Praising Kano APC leaders for shaping his commitment to public service, he said: “I am inspired to offer this kind [of] gestures by our APC leaders in Kano. Their service to humanity is a source of inspiration to me and many members of our great party.
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“Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, Murtala Sule Garo, Abba Bichi and Mariya Bunkure are among those who inspire me for what they are doing [for the] people of our great state.
“I extend my gratitude to all our leaders. Our prayer is for Allah to grant us a time when every party member will enjoy the dividends,” he added.
The beneficiaries expressed delight and gratitude for receiving what they described as lifetime support, noting that the intervention came at the right time.
One of the beneficiaries, Aminu Ahmad, said that the free fertiliser would help revive farming activities crippled by high costs.
According to him, the fertiliser would help him save some money that would have been used for other purposes.
“I received fertiliser. Recently, high cost of fertiliser has hindered our farming output. Today we are right to say we have been rescued and our morale has been boosted to go back to farm.
“We are very grateful and this shows that Engr. Umar is the true heir of his father, Baba Ganduje,” he said.
Another beneficiary, who received a solar-powered irrigation pump, said it is the first time his community had benefited from such support.
“This is the first of its kind. We thank Abba Ganduje and we will repay good with good,” he said.
